By Taylor Williams Architects and general contractors are shaking up the ways in which they design and construct industrial projects in response to financial pressures faced by their clients, an elevated emphasis on sustainability and shifts in how tenants utilize spaces. The nuts and bolts of designing and developing commercial properties are fickle by nature, as they are beholden to consumer preferences, which are in a perpetual state of flux. Yet the current shifts in industrial design and construction practices should not be viewed as indicators of the sector’s waning popularity among investors. “Despite a difficult rate environment that is causing challenges for all sectors of the economy, we have deep optimism about the near- and long-term future for the industrial market in New Jersey and Pennsylvania,” says David Greek, managing partner at regional firm Greek Real Estate Partners. “This region sits amid the most densely populated area in the nation and continues to grow. At the same time, the consumer shift to e-commerce is not nearly complete, creating a dramatic long-term need for logistics facilities to accommodate this historic change.” In other words, industrial is still hot. And the most visible and basic change occurring within the property type — …
